Ok, heres the story..... A few nights ago, coming home from work, the headlights got REAL BRIGHT!!! Did this off and on a few times.......voltage regulator obviously going bad....... So I park the truck in the driveway. Today, I get into it to go to town.wont start, nothing.....turns over and gets fuel, but no spark. I pulled the coil wire off and shoved a new plug into it to see if it would do anything, nothing really, just an occasional sprk, and a weak one at that. I thought maybe the ballast resistor was puked, nope, jumped it and still notta. Thought tha maybe since I had an overvolatge condition, it may have toasted the ignition control module. Pulled another one off an old dodge i had, installed it...it run. Good deal. Went to town, made my first stop, got back into the truck.....wont start......The Ig. control module i pulled off was old and not in real good shape physically, maybe it is a dead horse now......( I am guessing) Tonight i will put in the new voltage regulator, then play with the ignition some more, take voltage reading, test coil, distributor, pick up and coil, etc..... pain in the ass!!!!!! I hate electrical probelms, especially intermittant ones!!!!!!! Any of you mechanics out there have a quiclk idea on this? Its a 75 Dodge PowerWagon, 318.....
well it could be that the distributor cap has gone bad and needs replacing or the block somehow managed to get water in the block and soaked the plugs an they wont fire...but does the truck turn over?
Ya, the truck does crank over, everytime. I just got back in here, it was runing great, after I hit it with some either....run real good (with the open exhaust, sounds like a NASCAR engine!!!! ) LOL!! anyway.....it run great, like always.....then............ I let it sit for a while...............went to restart it.........nothing, the SOB would not fire a bit....Pulled #1 plug wire and shoved it onto a good plug sitting on the valve cover....little if NO spark.......carb is definatly getting fuel, timing is good......and the trunk monkey has ben shot in the head ( the little guy might have been playin games with me, guess i should have fed him) The voltage at the coil is 8 volts.....Remember it has a ballast resistor. the voltage at the Ignition control module is 13 volts..... i need the damn thing runnng again to test the pick up coil in the distibuter.........BAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! And tommorrow it drops to 15 degress around here!!!!! at least it is in my shop, thanks to thte tow truck driver...
Dang Viking. Stretching my memory banks here. Can use a test light and see if you have a flash at the coil negative. That will at least tell you if you are getting control. If no flash, use the test light and tap one of the wires on the pick up with the test light clamp to ground using the point of the light at a pick up connect. Tap fast. See if you have spark then. If so, I would look at the pick up in the distributor. A scope would be the tool of choice, but we make do. If not, I think we would need to look at connections as well as the old module. Who knows what spiked when the regulator decided to not regulate. Just seems odd that it did work with another module for a little bit. But, coincidence does happen. At the weirdest times.
Actually, i do have a few scopes.........Never even thought about that! Havent fired them up in years. they are a typical 20mHz style. Not sure if they like 10-50K volts!!!! I have an automotive DMM, does it ALL shy of a scope. Just need to hook it up and see what is going on i think. the thing has done ****ed me off tonight!!!! I am thinking that the Ignition control is dead (20 dollar part) I KNOW the voltage regulator is junk...(10 dollar part) I will test the stuff tommorrow morning and see what flys and what doesnt. If it is in the distributor i have 2 or 3 more setting around to put in place of it that i know are good......Just gunna have to dig in and figure this out...... I wish it had a point ignition system.......so much easier to wrench on........And generally not a freekin intermittant issue, they either work, or they dont...........electronic BS makes it a whole nother ball of wax...... thanks for the replies guys. I will check back in tommorrow and let yall know what i find. hell, might get good and po'ed and wrench on it yet tonight..........
Alright, just went out and hooked up the meter using its inductive pick up on #1 spark plug wire.....shoed NOTHING as far as a tch reading on the meter....... Hooked up the test leads and put one on the negative side of coil, the other to ground, during cranking, it showed.........get this.........................13 rpm's........WTF????? Hooked up the test lights ground to the posive of the battery, then the probe to the neg. side of the coil.......light stayed virtually unchanged in its brightness, no pulsing, no nothing........with the ignition ON, the ballast resistor gets hot, as if it is always feediont the coil juice, no matter what.............Hmmmmmmmmmm??? Thoughts on this guys?
well, when your 1995 and up vehicles are in the junkyard after 15 years of service on the road, my 1975 truck will still be going!!!!!! I like these little problems (not) but at least they are something that can be fixed for undr a hundred bucks, and thats maybe once a year!!! not bad for a 31 year old truck!
just got the SOB running agin..... I have several SB dodge distrubutors lying around....hooked up one in place of the original, spun it by hand and the spark from the coil is HOT. even at a low rotaion speed. Pulled the original out and spun it by hand....had a spark, but not as hot... WTF??????? A signal is a signal for an ECM........Go figure. i shoved in the other dist. and it fired right up.......... WTF????????? ( must say this though, the rotartional resistance, or bumps from the magnetic field were almost non existant from the original, the "new" one had a major feild effest) Tomorrow i am getting a new ballast resistor, new ICM, a new cap and rotor, and a freeking case of beer......oh and 7 Qts of valvoline 50w racing and a filter........its needs that too. might even grease the chassis....ya, that needs it BAD i am sure!.... i hope between the new dist. and the new parts this ignition system will be good for another 30 years....... It is good to vent and blab in here, makes one cool off and not kick the dogs when po"ed.......Thanks for listening and thanks for not making me touch your chicken......
Viking, if you hooked up the ol scope on the pick up coil, you would see amplitude low, I would guess. Gotta have a high enough signal for even a module to process it.. But, one thing about being a dyed in the wool Mopar guy...... We KNOW ya got spare parts layin' around! Sounds like your all over it. Good luck!
WHERE THE PHUCK IS MY DAMMED TIMING LIGHT????? WHICH ONE OF YOU BASTERDS TOOK IT!!!!!!! Looked all over for it this morning.......probably loaned it out and never got it returned......Hey, Throttle tune, cant it be timed by vaccuum???? isnt it at idle, adjust the distibutor till the vacuum reaches its peak on the gauge? Or is it when the vacuum is at the lowest? I forget............
Yep Viking. Advance it till the vacuum is the highest, then back it off a wee bit. Then, listen for the ping. If none, you're all set.
Quote: Originally Posted by Willy D ALL I CAN SAY IS......IT IS A DODGE..... Willy well, when your 1995 and up vehicles are in the junkyard after 15 years of service on the road, my 1975 truck will still be going!!!!!! I like these little problems (not) but at least they are something that can be fixed for undr a hundred bucks, and thats maybe once a year!!! not bad for a 31 year old truck! Just messin with ya..... Willy
IT LIVES!!!!! Muahahahahahaha!!!!! It lives i tell you!!!!!!! The SOB is runnin better than it has for a long time. Actually got the thing to spin all 4 wheels in the gravel !!!!!! i like it.
Thanks Pedro The darn engine is so worn out, but dangit, the thing just keeps runnin!!! the bearings ae so won out that oil pressure registers at about 10 PSI....COLD once it has warmed up, i show no oil pressure!!!!!!!!! It dont seem to care really!!! I love my truck, it has been through ponds, streams, creeks, woods, rock climbing, hill climbs, mud runs, stump pulls, tree drags, jumped a few ditches, and even got about 3 feet airborn on a jump........poor ol gal, she just takes it in stride!!!!!!!! i do have a high volume oil pump for it to put in, but WHY? it runs!!!!!! LOL!!!!
